Marxist Perspective on Crime & Deviance (AQA GCSE Sociology)

The Marxist approach to crime and deviance

• Marxism, like functionalism, is a structural theory or explanation that suggests that societal structure rather than individual characteristics is the cause of crime and deviance

  • Crime is due to the hierarchal class structure of capitalist societies in which the bourgeoisie exploit poor, working-class people for profit

• Capitalist society is based on values such as

  • materialism (valuing material things)

  • consumerism (the desire for the newest products)

  • competition between people to acquire these goods

• In an unequal society, not everyone has the opportunity to buy capitalism's goods (e.g. a certain phone, computer or car)

  • People may struggle in school due to material deprivation

    • This limits their employment opportunities, so they accept low-paid jobs with limited or inconsistent hours

  • Influenced by capitalist advertising, some people will try to obtain goods through criminality rather than work hard for long-term savings

  • Capitalists may also commit crimes as they are motivated by profit, which encourages a mentality of greed and self-interest

    • Therefore, crime results from the structure of capitalist society and its built-in inequalities

Law enforcement

• Marxists are critical of the laws that are made and enforced in capitalist society as they serve the interests of the bourgeoisie

  • The ruling class have the power to prevent the introduction of laws that would threaten their interests and profitability

    • E.g., some legal tax avoidance loopholes exist which serve the interests of celebrities, businesspeople, and politicians

• While crimes committed by the wealthy bourgeoisie frequently go unnoticed or unpunished, working-class people are more likely to be caught breaking the law

  • E.g., benefit fraud is perceived as more serious than tax evasion, even though the latter is more costly for the state

• Agencies of social control (e.g., police and courts) operate in the interests of the powerful bourgeoisie and against the proletariat:

  • Certain types of crime are targeted, such as street crime, which is policed more heavily than white-collar crime

  • Certain groups are targeted, such as black people and working-class people

    • Ethnic minorities are 'over-policed and under-protected' and more likely to receive prison sentences than other members of society

Criticisms

• Not every criminal law supports the interests of the bourgeoisie

  • The law reflects the interests of many groups, not just the powerful; e.g., anti-discrimination laws aim to tackle workplace inequality

• Initiatives such as pupil premium funding have been put in place to allow materially deprived pupils to access education

  • It is possible to come from a poor background and achieve educational success

  • However, access to excellent education and the cultural capital needed to succeed in education is not equally available

• Critics argue that Marxists view people committing crimes as victims of circumstance and disregard individual responsibility

  • Functionalists argue that society is based on value consensus rather than conflict

  • Some feminists argue that Marxist approaches focus on issues of social class in capitalist society and ignore non-class issues such as gender

• Not all capitalist societies have high crime rates

  • E.g., the homicide rate in Japan and Switzerland is about a fifth of that in the US

  • This could be due to the inadequate welfare state provisions in the US